Present salt substitutes attempt to simulate the taste and appearance of sodium chloride. Nu-Salt.RTM. (Cumberland Packing Corp. U.S.A.) contains potassium chloride. No-Salt.RTM. (RCN Products U.S.A.) also contains potassium chloride. Lite Salt.RTM. (Morton International) is a 50:50 blend of sodium and potassium chlorides. Still another product Papa Dash.TM. (Alberto Culver U.S.A.) contains malto-dextrin, NaCl and potassium iodide. The potassium containing products have limited application due to their bitter and metallic taste.
Although they are not salt substitutes, flavor enhancers, such as monosodium glutamate and sodium inosinate, often are added to various food formulations to enhance the saltiness of salted food. However, these materials do not have a salty taste.
Various attempts have been made to develop organic products which have a salty taste like sodium chloride and the ability to enhance flavors.
In the Hause et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,015,567 the compounds L-lysine succinate, L-lysine hydrogen succinate and L-lysine hydrogen adipate are described as having "the unique property of having a desirable salty taste which improves the flavor of food to which they are added." However, the high acidity and sourness due to the combination of organic acids and mineral acids make these compounds unacceptable for use as table salt replacements. As a result, although the patent has now expired, those compounds still have not found any acceptance as salt substitutes.
A need still exists for a salt substitute that does not have the disadvantages of table salt or prior art table salt substitutes.